All posts by Dona

Secret Grotto, Secret Shrine

Memories, , , , ,

Years ago, on what I recalled as a long walk with my friend Candy, we happened upon an amazing discovery. Actually, Candy knew about it and wanted to show me, but it was a discovery for me. Candy called it a “grotto”. I didn’t really know what a grotto was and as the years went by the image of this grotto, in my mind’s eye, became a pagan temple where modern day witches might worship. I imagined that it was built by Pantheists in the early- to mid-1900s and was secretly kept up by followers of non-traditional faiths. I’d been thinking about it recently because I thought it was something that my daughter would like to see.

Candy and I visited the grotto again this past Wednesday and although I was wrong about the religion, I was right about the purpose — it was a place for worship. It was obviously built by Christians, however, not Pantheists. Symbols of Christianity are all over the structure, so much that it might be better called a shrine. I was also wrong about the location. I thought it was in Elgin and far away from civilization. (or as far away as possible in an urban area) In fact it is a few minutes walk from the Kane County Government center in Geneva, Illinois.

Grotto Shrine in Geneva, Illinois

Candy knew little about its history, so we stopped by the nearby government center to ask about it and the history of the government center buildings. The first person we asked didn’t even know the grotto/shrine existed. The second person we asked looked at us strangely and told us to ask down the hall. The third person we asked told us that the buildings had once been a seminary for monks and they used to worship at the shrine/grotto. She said that occasionally people from “out East” who have some connection with the monks stop by to visit the former seminary.

Candy and I then tried asking about the buildings and grotto at the Geneva History Center and neither of the volunteers on duty knew about the history of the buildings at the government center. One volunteer said that if we wanted someone to research it for us we could request it, but it would cost us money. I politely declined and said I would try to find information online.

I did find a few references to the shrine/grotto in Geneva, Illinois — most were pretty much the same text, however one was much more detailed [PDF, 226KB].

Apparently the Grotto Shrine (which is what the Neighbors of Geneva article* calls it) was designed and built by a Jesuit priest from Germany who came to the Sacred Heart Seminary to study to be a missionary. According to the article, “on special feast days the missionaries and seminarians would walk in candlelight procession to the outdoor chapel.”

While the grotto shrine was not what I remembered it to be, it still fascinates me and I look forward to showing it to my daughter someday. I’m also a little fascinated that no one we talked to knew much, if anything, about the grotto shrine. If I worked at the government center, I know I would want to know as much as possible about the history of the buildings I worked in. I guess everyone is not that way.

——–
*coincidentally written by the Geneva History Center

Phyllis Diller gets an Oscar

Memories, ,

I was blessed with a whole bunch of cousins whose families would get together on holidays or for other special events. Often we cousins would put on a “show” for the parents. I wish we had videos of even one of those shows, because they would be precious to us now, but all we have are vague memories of them.

I didn’t even know a photo existed of any of the shows until I was going through and scanning a bunch of photos I borrowed stole from my mom.

Here is my cousin*, Beth, and me (as Phyllis Diller according to the back of the photo — thank you Grandma, for writing on the back of photos!) in one of our shows. I do remember this one, but don’t remember any of the skits. I wonder if Beth does. Perhaps she’ll comment below.

Dona and Beth in a skit where Phyllis Diller gets an Oscar
Beth and Dona putting on a show. The back says” “Phyllis Diller gets an Oscar”. Chetek, July 1968.

I wish I’d scanned this last week. I would have posted it on Facebook along with my RIP message to Phyllis Diller.

——–

*she’s really my mom’s cousin so that makes her a second cousin or something

Waiting

Musings

Are you a good waiter? Not the kind that serves food at a restaurant. I mean do you wait well? I’m a good waiter. My husband is not. I am not bothered by long traffic lights. I’ll sit and think about things while I wait for the stop light to turn green and I can head into the intersection. My  husband goes out of his way to avoid long traffic lights.

I first realized I was a good waiter when I was a child and noticed that other kids my age were fidgety in church. I prided myself on my ability to sit still. Then in grade school, when the teacher left the room (probably to have a smoke), I was not one of the kids who got out of my seat and misbehaved. I sat and waited for the teacher to come back. In fact, one time, when a classmate brought a small amount of mercury for show and tell, I ended up being the only  child in the room allowed to touch it because everyone else jumped up out of their seats to touch it when the teacher said they would be able to touch it. They were all sent back to their seats and I, alone, touched the magical liquid silver metal. A reward for waiting.

These days I do not get rewards for waiting patiently. I’m often overlooked in lines at stores because I’m not impatient. When “who was next?” is asked, I say I was, but sometimes someone, more impatient than I am, claims that position. And so I wait, but I simmer inside. (Once I tapped a woman on the shoulder when she cut in front of me in a line and asked her if I was invisible. She did not understand and stayed in front of me in line).

This weekend I waited a lot. I waited to help my daughter with her computer and cell phone (albeit after she waited for me — she’s a good waiter too). I waited for my husband to be ready to go out and purchase a new refrigerator. I waited patiently for the salesclerk at Sears to go through his required spiel about extended warranties and the advantages of Sears credit cards. My husband became impatient and angry. Back at home I waited for my son to get ready to leave the house so we could buy a few things he needed for his trip to Italy.

I think that at first — as a child —  I waited well because I was too shy to not wait patiently. The alternative was interaction with others — something I avoided at all costs. As I grew older I realized that in many cases there was nothing one could do about the wait. Becoming impatient was fruitless and only caused anxiety and bad feelings if others were involved.

That said, there is one kind of waiting I do not do well — waiting for someone to make a decision if I have already made one.

So — are you a good waiter or an impatient one? Do you see positives for being impatient? Negatives for being patient? Have I wasted some of my life being patient? If you know me, am I wrong about this and am, in fact, a bad waiter?

I’ll patiently wait for your feedback…